Third on his team, Chris Bosh would be first in this (free agent) class

The national perception of Bosh, which at this point has become nonsensically negative.

The reality is that Bosh, who was ranked behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire and — in some circles, Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer — in the 2010 free agent class, would likely be the most coveted player in this one.

Even after taking more of a secondary or tertiary role last season, Bosh is still averaging 20.0 points and 9.2 assists for his career. He’s 27. He’s healthy. He’s hardly trouble in the locker room.

Now look closer at the top “bigs” in this class.

Nene is 29. His career averages are 12.3 point and 6.9 rebounds. He’s played at least 75 games just three times, and has never been counted upon to carry a franchise. In Denver, during most of Carmelo Anthony’s tenure, he was the fourth or fifth option. He’s never been asked to carry anybody anywhere and, for all of Bosh’s frustrations in Toronto, he did take two flawed Raptors teams to the playoffs.

Tyson Chandler is 29, with plenty of wear, considering he debuted at 18. For his career, he’s averaging 8.3 points and 8.8 rebounds, and has never topped 11.8 points per game in a season. He played a major role in Dallas’ title with his defensive mindset. But he still has severe limitations to his offensive game. He’s perfect where he is; in some other spots, teams will be disappointed.

David West is 31. His career averages: 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, much of it while playing with Chris Paul, the sort of point guard that Bosh has never had. He’s coming off a serious knee injury, and his lack of size for his position will become more of an issue as he loses quickness.

Is Bosh overpaid, in relation to what LeBron James (same) and Dwyane Wade (slightly less) earn?

Perhaps you can make that case, though you could also make it about just about anyone else remotely close to James and Wade in salary.

Still, considering his age and accomplishments, if he were free now, he would have a better chance than anyone else to command max dollars.